edited to say well said Mr McLelland
My goodness, there is a whole lot of uninformed guff being spouted on here. First we have the ardent anti-navy Jackonory with his tiresome rant about scrapping the Carriers, well Jacko, to plagiarise (SP) one of your statements....It's coming, it's funded, get over it! The CVF will have much more than just an Air Defence capability, it will be a STRIKE carrier, as such it will project JOINT STRIKE power where required, yes it will get there slowly, but it can loiter, move, and support a JOINT ground force. It will also at last be able to fit CH47 on it's lifts without the need for folding and this will mean that RAF maintainers will be able to do their work in a heated workshop, properly supported by well stocked storerooms, rather than freezing/sweating their nuts off outside in a Fjord/Gulf. As previously mentioned, the CVF will bring with it much JOINT capability which will support a JOINT force ashore. Today's news of another 100 vehicles destroyed in Pakistan, shows you the fragility of land base supply.
But this whole issue is not about the CVF, it is about Harrier. I empathise with both camps. The Light Blue are faced with a huge black hole which needs to be filled. Only the removal of an entire capability will fill that gap. Salami slicing by getting rid of a few airframes here and there will not do. That is why CAS and his staff have reluctantly put up Harrier...as someone else mentioned, unlike Tornado or Typhoon, the Harrier upgrade is not yet paid for and is therefore one of the few ways of saving any money.
On the Dark Blue front, they are confronted with a proposal which could put over ten years of planning, re-focus and re-balancing of forces at threat. You only have to take a visit to Portsmouth or Plymouth to see the many, many, perfectly good, Support vessels, Carriers, Destroyers, Submarines and Minehunters that have been mothballed over recent years to see the "slicing" that has gone on in order for the RN to AFFORD CVF. Yes the RAF have gone through it too to a degree with Jaguar but the dark Blue is now extremely well placed to have a flexible, deployable force that can project power across the globe. There has been investment in heavy lift, the Marines are better provided for than in many years, the Naval Strike Wing are working well as part of the Stan roulement and CVF plus some form of Air Group (GR9, Dave B or C, Rafale or FA18) will provide the final piece of capability to project a balanced and effective force, which will be in service for over 40 years. Yes it sounds expensive but through life costs will soften the blow.
The problem is that the MOD as a whole has been operating for many years at a level above planning assumptions and it is now hurting. The only answer is to cut major UNFUNDED capabilities or reduce commitments or properly fund all the equipment projects of all three forces.
I commend the Admiral for his stance and having the balls to speak out, because if he does not, it could mean the end of his Service. I empathise with CAS as he is fighting to keep his force relevant and balanced against the political imposition of several procurements that have tied his hands and bankrupted his finances leading to an AIr Force with not enough helicopters, AT, Tankers etc. All of which is no fault of the RN.
May you live in interesting times!